Empty Heart
by Ascarde
Summary: Roxas fulfilled his oath to Xion; he defeated the Organization and liberated Kingdom Hearts. Refusing to go back to Sora, he flings himself into the dimensional sea. Landing in an oddly nostalgic world, he struggles to explore the heart he is developing, and the feelings that come with it. A certain girl clothed in white might be able to help him out a little... Canceled.
1. Chapter 1

Darkness swirled around the youth with blue eyes and spiky golden blonde hair, clad in a coat of deepest night. Holding a pair of odd looking blades, he wandered back along the faint line that marked the trail back to his "home". A bright light, then he was stepping off onto the platform of Twilight Town's train station. He dropped his weapons, a white, incomparably beautiful work of art, its handle surrounded by a guard of angel wings. A black one that had a grim appeal, the handle enclosed by two bat wings curved downwards. Twin blades, one bathed in ethereal light, and the other covered in the black light of darkness. They were Oathkeeper and Oblivion, and they were the Nobody Roxas's Keyblades. With the swords dissipating in a flash of pure white light and black smoke and violet lightning, Roxas made his way to his "usual spot". The original spot, where he went to relax after a hard mission with Axel and… Xion. Yes, that was her name.

He fought tooth and nail against the hooded man (_Riku_… **his** memories whispered), and won. Claiming but a fragment of Riku's memories, the memories of the doll with blue eyes and black hair, it was enough to anchor the existence called Xion to this world. Even now, he used the catalyst of his memories of her to call upon Oathkeeper, Oath's Charm. He turned on his heel, demanding Riku fight with him to end the Organization he swore to fight against, before departing and moving on to the castle. Striking down the people who he could tentatively call "friends", he moved on to Xemnas, his leader. Riku had arrived at the point where Roxas had brutally overpowered Xemnas in a show of force and raw strength. After liberating Kingdom Hearts, the heart-shaped moon disappearing in a flutter of pink light, Riku confronted Roxas once more. Demanding Roxas come with him to see Sora, Roxas refused, saying "I am my own person now," before turning and vanishing into the inky blackness of the Corridor.

He sat on the clock tower once again, staring off into the distance. He could not stay long; Riku would find him. He clenched his fist; no matter how many times he struck Riku down, he kept getting back up. Why? What purpose did getting up serve?

No… perhaps that was the wrong question to ask. What purpose did _he _serve now? He pondered Riku's words from his confrontation with Xion. To ensure Sora's awakening, he would have to merge with Roxas once again. But…

"_Am I being selfish?" _he wondered. He had fulfilled his oath to Xion; he defeated the Organization and liberated Kingdom Hearts. He had no purpose now, no oath to fulfill; going back to Sora would benefit everyone. However, he remembered the adventures he had, the friends he made. Perhaps, with all these worlds, surely he could find _someone_ who could give him an answer, right? Roxas stood up, his mind set. He would find a world; he would find someone who could give him something, anything at all. Opening a Corridor, he disappeared once more into the dimensional sea.

* * *

Traversing a Corridor was not as easy as it sounded. It's not a 'walk from point A to point B'; it's literally breaking the boundary which was never meant to be broken. A faint light would appear under your feet to 'guide' you to a destination. Step even a single foot off its path and you would be hurled into the sea with no way of getting back. Steeling himself, Roxas did just that. He stepped off to the side. Immediately, the light disappeared. Roxas fell, his hood and coat whipping upwards. The strange feeling of weightlessness never ceased to make him uneasy. First there was fighting Xigbar, where unspoken instincts made space obey his laws and he defied physics. Then there was Axel, whose flames created a dangerous barrier, unsuitable for all to fight against him. Utilizing Xigbar's space mastery, he flew through the air, skating on it like his old self's skateboard, before slamming him into the floor and using his innate light powers to incinerate Axel. He cried for the last time then; where Axel had disappeared he swore that he would strike down the rest of them. Giving them no quarter, he would-

"Oof!" was his brilliant response as he landed face first onto hard concrete. He sat up before taking a good look around. Very homely; the architecture was nothing extraordinary, but it reminded him of Twilight Town, only the sun was higher and quite possibly brighter. Wincing as his pupils expanded and dilated before giving him a comfortable viewpoint, he stood up cautiously. Normally he would prove to be invisible to all but a select few; however his recent exploits in the worlds had gradually proven otherwise. More and more people and living things started to notice him, despite the fact that they simply should not. Perhaps this was proof he was becoming a Somebody instead of a Nobody? He shook his head, clearing it of any thoughts. Instincts drilled into him by Vexen came to the forefront. Say what you will about Vexen, but he was intelligent and what he taught Roxas about recon and observing his surroundings, deducting analysis about both his opponents and his surroundings stuck. The streets were differed from Twilight Town; they did not have the cramped feeling the town had; instead, it spaced it out more. Instantly Roxas was on alert; experiences with The World That Never Was had taught him that the wider the space, the likelier it was to cause an ambush. Something… felt off though. Like the buildings were too big…

Looking down, he saw that he had reverted to what he could call his "child form", if Nobody's had one. His coat had also shrunken to fit its new wearer's size, and his hands were much smaller than he remembered. He stared at the changes, before looking in a shop window. His face seemed… more full. It didn't have the wear of his old self, his teenage body. He poked his face a little bit, before writing it off as one of the odd quirks of this world. Sora had been shifted into forms befitting the world, so perhaps this was to fit in.

Seeing no immediate threats, he took off to explore. His shoes beat a steady rhythm as he strode through the streets, gaining a few odd looks, most likely due to his garb. He refused to wear what he wore in Twilight Town; that was a false life. He would live his own, true life now. Emotionless blue eyes scanned the sides of the street; most likely a residential area; but who was he to judge? The worlds he visited seemed primal in design, no sign of human life anywhere. Deserted alley… if anything would get him here, it would most likely be a Heartless. Abruptly, he heard plastic rustle and a rather loud clang; with a _ping!_ and a bright flash of light, Oathkeeper was swinging to point at the…

Cat. A rather tattered old thing, it hissed at Roxas before scampering off. His grasp on his beloved Keyblade slipped, before he realized what the issue was. The handle was a bit too big for him at this point. Hopefully he could channel it and make it readjust. He cursed, coming to a quick revelation; this would reduce his reach, his speed, and nearly everything else. Abruptly feeling somewhat self-conscious of holding what could pass as a sword, he dismissed Oathkeeper and continued on his walk. Apart from the occasional shop, he didn't note anything really of anything notable. He did pick up a map of the area, however. This pleased him immensely; he typically had to draw his own maps of the areas he visited before he could reliably use them. Sometimes he had other member's intel on a world, but only if it was previsited. The fact that a pre-drawn map existed here raised his appreciation of the new world. Picking up a single bar of ice cream (Sea salt got him an odd look before he settled with 'chocolate') he wandered off, following the map.

* * *

Roxas sighed, before sitting down on the roof of one of the numerous skyscrapers. The heat was getting to him, an unusual thing as the black coat of the Organization usually did not feel or register heat, with the exception of Agrabah. He was in a much denser, much more populated area. It was on a flat area, so it had much more space than Twilight Town, but did it have to cram so many buildings? It felt almost like he was in the Dark City again. He shivered, before drawing the coat closer around him. The feeling of being chased by legions of Heartless and Nobodies, before standing his ground and cutting them down was not something he would forget anytime soon. His loyal Samurai Nobodies, bless their Heartless Bodies, had followed him and even helped fight back their "siblings". They went from a force a hundred strong to only a mere six by the time he defeated Riku, but they were intelligent and withdrew, much to his gratitude. He would need every ally he could get in this potentially hostile world.

He stared over at the city. It was bright; too bright. He was painfully reminded of the time he collapsed when Sora underwent a memory spike, attempting to pull him back into himself. His fists clenched, and Oblivion formed in his left hand. He would not permit that; the existence called Roxas must continue on, even if he was condemned to live a fake, empty, twisted parody of what Somebodies received. For both Xion and Axel…

Standing up and tossing the ice cream stick over the side (it was a bit too sweet for his liking), he looked downwards. Nope, not a single bystander in sight, nor anywhere nearby. He took a step forward and fell the twenty or so stories until he landed on the ground. Landing easily, he rose back from the half crouch he bent into when he hit the ground before deciding he was bored.

He didn't know it, but Roxas had developed a twisted mockery of a Heart. If he knew what a Heart entailed, with emotions and how to respond to said emotions, Roxas would very likely be screaming in both boredom and frustration. As it was, he had sent out the six Samurai left (he, in a fit most likely brought about by his idyllic days in Twilight Town, affectionately named them the 'Old Guard') to scout out for Heartless or any rouge Nobodies. As they came back, not a single one reported any Heartless or Nobody activity. Nota, zilch, zippo. This caught him by surprise; either there were genuinely no Heartless or Nobodies in the area, or someone else with a Keyblade was taking care of them (he was placing his munny on this). Right now, he was investigating a forested area that provided comfortable amounts of light as well as being visually appealing. He would have to hand it to this 'park', he was in a state he could tentatively call 'peace'. It was difficult to describe, the feeling that flooded his mind; he felt like he didn't have to do anything. What he wouldn't give to simply lie under a tree and take a nap…

But he could not do that. He had to keep his guard up; a wide city like this could offer any number of possibilities of ambush. Sending out the Old Guard once more, he strode easily through the park before laughter reached his ears. Turning his head instinctively he watched three girls playing who he could only assume were friends. Roxas could only stare longingly. If things were different, could it have been Axel, Xion, and him in their place? Could they possibly have found happiness that would have equaled… no, surpassed what these three enjoyed? His hand twitched, involuntarily, before noticing that one had stopped and even now was looking at him. Abruptly, he covered his face with his hood and took a single step before disappearing with only a shadowy wisp of blackness showing any sign he existed.

Nanoha Takamachi, in the meantime, could only frown in disapproval, even as her friends laughed around her. That boy had seemed so jealous of her and her friends. His eyes also disturbed her; they just seemed... lost. Empty... devoid of all emotion. Perhaps ironically, those words suited Roxas best; he had no purpose, nor any real reason to live except be the proof Axel and Xion did.

* * *

A/N: Holy fraking schiz, my muse is going out of control with its ideas!

This may be contributed to the fact I'm a huge fan of Roxas and currently going through Kingdom Hearts starvation. Days has gone missing, BbS I'm not willing to find a torrent for, and my PS2 has been missing for YEARS.

The girls Roxas saw were Nanoha, Alisa, and Suzaka, the original friend trio. This occurs before the start of the anime. Roxas has been age regressed due to fitting in with the "source"; he has a vast recollection of Sora's memories of all the world's he went to, and he's also been to more than a few himself. Thus the casual dismissal of his age regression.

Roxas has six Samurai Nobodies. I kept six due to six being my favorite number, and the fact that I believed the Samurai were (as a whole) loyal to him. He barely faced any Nobodies on his way out of the castle, and he didn't face any other Nobodies as he escaped into the Dark City. I believe the Nobodies who had kept their loyalty to him bought him time; this also helps explain why no Samurai Nobodies attacked in Twilight town.

The rest of the Organization is dead, Riku is currently fuming, and Sora is slowly regaining consciousness in due part to the fact that I believe it was VENTUS's heart Roxas took; not Sora's. That's why Roxas looks like Ventus, acts like him, and basically what Ventus would be if Aqua and Terra turned on him. Moot point; I don't intend for Sora, Kairi, or Riku to have large roles in this story, and the only planned appearance for Sora is in a dream sequence in which they talk.

Nanoha has not met Yuuno, obviously. This takes place after school immediately before the first episode; it's episode 0, basically. As it stands now, Roxas, with all his powers (relatively) intact, combined with his experience and retained memories, puts him far above what anyone in Nanoha can provide. For **NOW**, guys. I intend to fix that and soon. According to the Outskirts Battledome, only one of his parameters (gripping strength) was lower than Nanoha's... by one measly rank. This is at the start of the series, however, and Roxas will be more or less stagnant throughout the story in terms of power.

Will there be pairings? At this point, I'm pretty sure I'm not. If I do, I'll most likely go with RoxasxFate, due to both of them basically being used as tools by their parent figures and both suffering a meltdown afterwards. Roxas took it much worse than Fate, however. Seriously, the people you could call family attempting to kill you, and every single being in existence out to get you simply because you shouldn't exist? _Cruel_.

Nanoha will obviously fight Roxas, of course. Roxas likely won't disappear in this story, due to gaining his own heart and the fact that Nanoha's magic seems permanently locked in the 'stun' setting. It may faze him, and in Nanoha's case seriously injure him, but it's not going to be enough to kill him.

That was quite feasibly the longest author's note I've ever written. To those who came from **Shirou Aozaki**, I'm sorry to say I'm dropping the project. The Nasuverse simply doesn't interest me anymore for me to write it, nor can I muster enough motivation at this point. Sorry.

Till we meet again.

~J


	2. Chapter 2

The sun had set, darkness fallen, and Roxas was getting mildly uncomfortable. He didn't have anywhere to go, however; the worlds he had already visited would very likely have Riku's eyes somewhere. He'd have to find a place where he could wait it out until the sun rose again. He looked into an alley near the edge of town. Staring at the edge where dirty water had formed into a puddle, Roxas declared, "I am not sleeping in that without something to cover my coat in." It was his only coat; what could he say? Sure, he could make more out of the darkness they originated, but it was a time-consuming process and one that he could not afford to do comfortably until he got a reasonable amount of info. Zexion had taught him to go above and beyond the call in his duties, and he intended to keep these practices. The Samurai were providing him with valuable area coverage; however he could not afford them to go into direct combat at the time. Until their ranks are filled to a comfortable level, he ordered them to withdraw and stay out of sight. They were performing admirably. He sighed, and settled into a comfortable position atop a building. It held numerous rooms and tables, and he was making himself comfortable under a bench on the roof.

* * *

His internal alarm clock alerted him about three seconds before the sun itself did. He opened his eyes, and flinched as the sun stabbed itself with a cruel joy into his eyes. He reflexively turned to avoid the sun, just in time to slam his head against the bench. Roxas hissed in slight discomfort, before rolling out under the bench and greeting the new day, albeit grudgingly. The habit of sleeping in was growing, due to needing every drop of sleep he could get. The mind and body had to be in tip top shape, after all. Crouching, he prepared to glide, before pausing and realizing he did not know the function of the building he slept on. Curious now, Roxas decided to wait and see what would greet him today. Another revelation came to him: he couldn't glide due to people possibly being able to see him. Roxas cursed, coming to see that his favored method of traveling in new worlds was now off limit for an indefinite period of time.

A few city blocks away, a certain elementary school girl was getting up and greeting her family as she prepared for another monotonous day at school. Nanoha's thoughts were not on breakfast however; she was more focused on the sad looking boy's eyes. Faintly wondering if he was a new student, she hoped to see him at school, before finishing her meal and getting on the school bus.

* * *

Roxas succeeded in shaping his Oathkeeper and Oblivion to fit his new hands. He stared at the once proud weapons and fumed silently. Deciding to try out his forms, he easily thrust Oblivion forward, waves of air rippling around it. He came to a pause, before spinning and swiping Oathkeeper at an invisible enemy. Rapidly, he swung back and forth, left and right, before leaping back, settling into a ready pose and dashing forward, slashing in a vicious cross slash and leaving behind a powerful ray of light. Spinning them expertly, he settled into a crouched pose, before they surged with light energy. With a _ping!_, Roxas swung the swords outward, released a brilliant white wave of light. Dismissing them, he pondered. His overwhelming speed _should, _in theory, be able to counteract the now smaller weapons. He would have to be careful not to overstretch his limbs, however. Nodding with satisfaction, Roxas's attention was caught by a growing commotion. Nameless dread filled him; had someone spotted him? Absurd, they should not be able to see him with his coat on! But… there was that girl…

Shaking his head, Roxas looked over the banister and was surprised to see a veritable legion of children going to the very building he was on. In an instant, finely honed deductive abilities kicked in and he immediately assessed the building's purpose. Large numbers of tables and seats, young children migrating towards it… this was very likely an education facility. Curiosity piqued, Roxas decided to linger in one of the rooms and catch the lesson.

* * *

Roxas yawned a little. The lesson was certainly enlightening as to the world's culture, but it was fairly boring. The basic mathematics was things he could solve easily, due to Vexen tutoring him on his days off in the Organization. He frowned at the thought; despite himself, he enjoyed being in the Organization; they gave him a purpose and a relatively comfortable lifestyle. While eccentric, they were also kind in their own ways; Zexion would occasionally lend him a book, Vexen would tutor him in the ways of science (never could understand it), and Luxord often gathered the Organization for a weekly poker night. When Saix lost, he provided some amusing (and intensely frightening) entertainment as he chased Luxord around the halls, demanding his munny back. Demyx would occasionally do a concert where both Axel and he were overwhelmed with the urge to steal his show. Axel and Xion…

He bit back the uncomfortable swell of feelings inside him. It simply would not do to linger forever in the past. For now, he had to focus on the lesson, despite the fact that he was nodding off in his position in the corner of the room. It was a little sad no one noticed him…

* * *

Roxas was jerked out of a rather comfortable dream as a loud ringing sound echoed around the building. The children got up and started wandering to the door. Left with nothing to do, he followed them. Some gathered on the roof, others simply explored the school. '_Ahh, I see now. It's a break_,' Roxas thought. Old habits die hard; Roxas migrated towards the roof, along with quite a few other people. He did not go unnoticed…

"Who's that?" Nanoha whispered to Suzaka. Roxas passed the group of friends, not even sparing them a glance, the bottom of his coat trailing behind him.

"Who's who?" the energetic girl asked, looking up from her drink. She looked around, her eyes glancing over Roxas, before alighting once more on Nanoha. "A person who was deemed 'the world's friend' doesn't know someone here?" she jokingly asked. Nanoha pouted.

"The boy in the black coat! Right…" she grabbed Suzaka's hand and pointed it right at Roxas, who by now was nearing the stairs. "There!"

Alisa looked in the direction, and her eyes too flicked towards Roxas, before turning back to Nanoha. "Umm… Nanoha-chan, are you feeling okay? There's no one there."

Nanoha threw her hands up in mild frustration. "Ah! I'm just going to go see what he's up to!" before storming off after Roxas.

Alisa leaned towards Suzaka and asked, "What's up with her today?" Suzaka could only offer a shrug before dragging Alisa off to play, the girl protesting all the while.

* * *

Roxas casually sat on the school's fence, overlooking the city. A pleasant enough view, but the beauty of the sun could not compare to the eternal twilight in Twilight Town. His black coat was comfortable around him, and he idly kicked his black shoed feet in a subconscious desire all human children share. He could get used to life here: it seemed idyllic enough, and it was lively and energetic compared to the sleepiness of Twilight Town. The fact that his Samurai reported no suspicious activity was also a good sign; Riku hadn't dug his claws here. They were currently out looking for any potential recruits. He'd take any dirty advantage he could get.

"Ooi!" a young voice shouted. He didn't pay it any heed. '_Most likely a_…' his thought was interrupted as a crumpled juice box hit the back of his head. Roxas grew deathly still, and turned slowly, almost deathly so, releasing the power all Nobodies possessed; the ability to stop all activity in an area. All sound ceased to be, the school roof growing as silent as a grave. He stared blankly at the girl who was playing with her friends yesterday. Turning fully, he pushed off the fence and landed with a soft thump on the ground.

"Yes?" he asked. It couldn't be helped; if he could be seen by her, then perhaps…

"Who are you and what are you doing in my school?" the girl asked.

Blink. Open mouth. Pause. Blink. Close mouth. He had not foreseen this.

* * *

A/N: Roxas finally meets Nanoha. It's difficult to write due to the fact I've only seen a few episodes of the show before my "anime depression" after seeing Angel Beats, easily among the best I've seen, and immediately after Sword Art Online, one of the worst I've seen. I completely and utterly lost all interest in anime and manga and simply could not bring myself to bring up the folder containing this story.

Real life issues are nothing to scoff at either; I just started college at sixteen and are taking transfer level classes, so there's a lot of pressure on me with that as well.

Issues people most likely will see is that Roxas seems to be emotional. Apart from the fact I mentioned that he already developed a heart and he just doesn't know it, he's a rather emotional Nobody to begin with. I'm certain that by the end of our playtime with him, he had fully developed a heart. Canon backs this up; Nobodies do develop Hearts; Xemnas just decided not to tell because it was all a part of his plan.

It's disturbing how easy ANs are to write, and I can see now why people often go on tangents.

Questions, Comments, Concerns? PM or Review.

Til we meet again.

~J


End file.
